


better than you (forever and always)

by Phoenix_Allura (Artemis_Autumn_Marie)



Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Confusion, Delusions, Fevers, Hallucinations, M/M, POV Tony Stark, Post-Civil War, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Sick Tony, Sickness, Teasing, mixed timeline, videocalls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 20:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Autumn_Marie/pseuds/Phoenix_Allura
Summary: Whumptober Day Three: DeliriumTony needs to finish this, Howard will be mad, and the board's upset, and he just has so many things to do and he can't get any of them done... and then his dead friend shows upCarol just wants her idiot (former) college-kid to take care of himself for once. (Spoiler: This does not happen.)





	better than you (forever and always)

Tony ran a hand through his hair. He really needed a shower and a shave, but he didn’t have time. He never had time. Howard needed so many updates and the board was getting antsy for his new foldable phone and he could never sleep, the nightmares would rip him apart if he tried.  
So he hid in his workshop, working feverishly, Howard kept telling him he wasn’t good enough, he would never be enough, he would never measure up to Captain America, he had to be better, better, always better, but he never was, no matter what he did.  
Tony flinched away as a hand tapped his shoulder.  
“-ony? Tony, come on, pay attention. There you are.” Tony blinked at Carol, why was she here? She’d been declared dead only a few weeks ago, Rhodey was really cut up about it, and Tony had hidden for a week.  
“Tony, I’m not dead. I was in space for those years. And you’ve got a fever anyway, so you’re not going to believe me.”  
“I should have made it better,” Tony mumbled to himself. If Carol had come back to haunt him, then he’d done something wrong. “Should have made it so you would survive.”  
“Tony, I did survive.” Carol lifted him up like he was a baby (he wasn’t! He was…. Seventeen? Forty-eight? Why couldn’t he remember?)  
“Definitely a fever. FRI, how long has he had this?”  
“Boos reached 101.2 at three am two days ago and refused to stop working. He reached his current temperature of 105.3 degrees three hours ago.”  
“Thank you, FRIDAY. Call Dr. Cho, please, and if you haven’t already, contact Pepper, Rhodey, and T’Challa.”  
“Of course, Captain Danvers.” Captain? Carol had never been a captain. She hadn’t lived that long. And who was Friday? Was that a reference?  
“Carol, what’s wrong with Tony?”  
“Thanks for answering so quickly, Helen.” Tony wriggled in Carol’s arms to see that she was talking to a hologram. “Tony’s got a high fever; he’s mixing up the past and present. I don’t think he’s aware of anything past his late college years.”  
“It may have something to do the spore attack last week.” That Friday girl put in. “Everyone was cleared immediately afterward-”  
“-But the effects are just now showing. Rhodey’s down too, similar symptoms, but he was reasonable and called me when he started getting sick. He’s been mixing college years, too. Seems to think you’re dead.”  
“That makes two of them,” Carol answered grimly. “Are you in your lab?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’ll bring Tony to you.”  
“Rhodey?” Tony felt the word slur in his mouth, but couldn’t really hear it.  
“Yeah, he’s sick too, brat,” Carol told him.  
“King T’Challa is asking for a videocall, Captain.”  
“Answer it.”  
“Carol, FRIDAY only told me that Tony was ill.”  
“Very much so, T’Challa. 105 fever, by FRIDAY’s estimate, and delirious, too. He’s not thinking or speaking straight, and he thinks he’s in college.”  
“I can be there by tomorrow.”  
“I’d wait a few days. If he doesn’t recognize you, there’s a chance he could lash out and make his condition worse.”  
“Why don’t we ask him?” T’Challa raised an eyebrow. “Tony, love, look at me.” Tony turned to look at the new screen, where--T’Challa! That was his husband!  
“Love, ‘Challa.” He managed.  
“Tony, I will be by your side tomorrow, and will stay on the call as long as I can,” T’Challa promised, but Tony didn’t really hear it. He was too busy freaking out internally.  
Howard was going to kill him! He was married, and he was young, and he had a husband, and Mama would be mad, he probably hadn't invited her to the wedding-  
“Calm down, Tony,” Carol ordered, and Tony automatically took a deep breath. Carol was here, which meant he was dead or she had come back to haunt him.  
“Tony, I’m going to set you down now.” Tony looked up; there was a cot in the middle of a hospital room. He hated hospitals, they reminded him of pain. He rubbed at his chest, it was suddenly aching.  
“Tony, Tony, don’t do that.” Someone pulled his hands away. “Carol, set him on the bed. Tony, I’m going to take your temperature and put you on an I.V., okay?” Tony nodded. He thought he knew this woman… everything was so muddled in his head, but he trusted Carol, and she wouldn’t let her hurt him. As Carol set him down, he clutched at her hand.  
“I’m not leaving, Tony.”  
“106.” He heard the doctor murmur. “We need to get him in an ice bath, but the shock might be too much. I’ll get the bath ready; do you want to sponge him down with cool water first?”  
“Nothing I haven’t done before.” If Carol hadn’t been holding his hands, Tony would have buried his face in them. Rhodey had been gone and he’d been sick and she came over, hoping to find Rhodey, but it was just him, and he’d been sweaty and throwing up everywhere and she’d called Rhodey and hauled him into the tub like it was nothing.  
“What?”  
“College.” Tony was pliable as Carol tugged his clothes off him and wiped him down. The cool water felt nice, and reminded him of how hot he was. Why was his fever so high, anyway? Was he on break? Probably. Howard wouldn’t care and Mama was in Italy, visiting her family.  
“Tony, can you drink this for me?” Tony took the glass carefully; it looked like apple juice. “Thank you, Tony. I’m going to move you now, okay?” Tony nodded. He trusted Carol, she would keep him safe when he couldn’t think for himself. He was placed in a large bathtub full of ice, and something was inserted into his right arm.   
“We need to get some fluids into you, Tony.”  
“He’s going to go into a coma, if we don’t do anything,” Carol said. “He did it once while I was around in college.”  
“We need to figure out what’s causing this, but he can’t even sit up on his own right now.” Tony knew they were talking about him, but he tuned them out anyway. He was tired and hot and needed a nap.

“He’s waking up.” A deep voice to his left.  
“Good. He didn’t fall into a coma, but it was close. And now that his fever is down a little, he shouldn’t be having too much trouble remembering when he is.” That sounded like Helen.  
“Good afternoon,” Tony mumbled.  
“It’s three in the morning, Tony.” An amused snort sounded to his right.  
“Hi, Carol.”  
“What, no hi for me?” Tony could place the voice now; it was T’Challa.   
“Ciao amore,” He smiled in that direction blindly.  
“I need to take your temperature again, Tony, now that you’re awake.” Helen hummed, pleased, when the results came back. “102.3, much better than before. You’re staying on the IV, and in bed, until you’re back at a normal temperature. And I drew blood, from both you and Rhodey, to test those spores you fought the other week.”  
“Don’t worry, Helen, I’ll keep him in bed.” Carol and T’Challa spoke almost in unison, then glared at each other.  
“I’ll go get you some juice,” Helen only sounded amused. “Carol, would you mind helping me get a tray together for him? I imagine you know what he likes when he’s sick.” T’Challa looked like he was going to protest at that, but Tony took his hand.  
“How long was I out for?”  
“About a day and a half. I arrived yesterday afternoon; you had almost slipped into a coma by then.” T’Challa stroked his face gently.  
“I don’t like to pull you away from your people.” Tony leaned into the hand.  
“Tony, you were at very high risk of falling into a coma; no one will fault me. Besides,” A teasing smile played on his lips. “You are my consort by marriage, technically a prince, as Shuri would remind you, and have been adopted into the tribe, which you worked hard for.”  
“I know. I just wish you didn’t feel you have to leave your home every time something happens to me.” Tony sighed. He often stayed in Wakanda, but there were still things--would always be things--that needed his attention in New York, or Malibu, or, one very interesting time, Italy.  
“You know I am going to tell you to come stay more.”  
“I know.” Tony gave him a half-smile. “I would love to. And soon, I won’t be in as much danger. Helen and I have nearly finished stabilizing the Extremis formula.”  
“And you’re going to inject yourself with it?”  
“In the Cradle, with Helen right there the whole time.”  
“Tony! I have food!” Carol hip-bumped the door open, and set the tray on Tony’s lap. Someone had been listening in. “Eggs, orange juice, toast, and I ordered from that little place you always loved in college.”  
“Thank you, Carol.”  
“Leave them alone,” Helen laughed from the doorway. “T’Challa, as long as you don’t disturb the IV line, you can help Tony shower and change and get back to sleep. You can even cuddle, for all I care.” Carol smoothed back the hair on Tony’s head and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.  
“See ya, kid.” She left with Helen, shutting the door behind them.  
“I assume you want to shower first?”  
“No.” Tony shook his head, rubbing at his chest again. “A bath would be better. Like they were saying, I was getting timelines mixed up-”  
“You don’t need to explain, sithandwa sam. Come, I will help you to the tub. FRIDAY, if you would begin filling it?”  
Tony watched his husband move about the room, setting aside clothes for later and carefully adjusting the I.V. stand, and smiled.  
“What’s got you so happy?” T’Challa asked, quietly.  
“I’m just glad, tesoro, to have found my husband in you as I did, and my family in your own, as I always will be.” This time, when he was picked up, Tony was happily aware of every fleeting second of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Second foray into the Marvel fandom; tell me what you thought!  
Translations from Italian and Xhosa: Hello, love--my love--darling  
This is way behind schedule, I know that, but school has been kicking my butt. I wrote this entire thing today between classes and just now was able to post.  
Any suggestions for fandoms for the next few prompts?  
As always,  
Nix


End file.
